by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2020-2021, 9,487 people earned their degree in philosophy, making the major the 86th most popular in the United States.
At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 7,961 philosophy graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,682 and $26,217 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major” ranking looked at 793 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in philosophy. That schools that top this list have a program in philosophy in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major” list to help you make the college decision.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
The colleges and universities below are the best for bachelor’s degree philosophy students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Saint John Vianney College Seminary. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major. Saint John Vianney College Seminary is a small school located in Miami, Florida that handed out 16 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Philosophy at Saint John Vianney College Seminary
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Conception Seminary College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major list. Conception Seminary College is located in Conception, Missouri and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 16 bachelors’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Philosophy at Conception Seminary College
Out of the 793 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Divine Word College landed the #3 spot on the list. Divine Word College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Epworth, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Mount Angel Seminary. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major. Located in Saint Benedict, Oregon, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 8 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s philosophy students in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Sacred Heart Major Seminary. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major. Sacred Heart Major Seminary is a private not-for-profit institution located in Detroit, Michigan. The school has a small population, and it awarded 17 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Holy Apostles College and Seminary came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major ranking. Holy Apostles College and Seminary is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Cromwell, Connecticut. It awarded 25 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Philosophy at Holy Apostles College and Seminary
Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary - Overbrook landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major ranking. This small school is located in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 8 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read more about Philosophy at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary - Overbrook
Pontifical College Josephinum ranked #8 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major list. Pontifical College Josephinum is a private not-for-profit institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Philosophy at Pontifical College Josephinum
Claremont McKenna College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major ranking, coming in at #9. Claremont McKenna is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Claremont, California. It awarded 19 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Hillsdale College ranked #10 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major list. Located in Hillsdale, Michigan, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 15 degrees to qualified bachelors’s philosophy students in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #11, Wabash College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major list. Located in Crawfordsville, Indiana, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 7 degrees to qualified bachelors’s philosophy students in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #12, Franciscan University of Steubenville did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major list. Franciscan University of Steubenville is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Steubenville, Ohio. It awarded 28 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Kenyon College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major ranking, coming in at #13. Kenyon College is located in Gambier, Ohio and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 13 bachelors’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
Hamilton College ranked #14 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major list. Hamilton College is a small school located in Clinton, New York that handed out 19 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Sweet Briar College landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major ranking. Sweet Briar is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Sweet Briar, Virginia. It awarded 2 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Lake Forest College landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major ranking. Located in Lake Forest, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 14 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s philosophy students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
With a ranking of #17, Principia College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major list. Located in Elsah, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 3 degrees to qualified bachelors’s philosophy students in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #18, Hobart and William Smith Colleges did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major list. Hobart and William Smith Colleges is a private not-for-profit institution located in Geneva, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Philosophy at Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Westmont College landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major ranking. Westmont College is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10 bachelors’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Bates College landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major ranking. Bates is a small school located in Lewiston, Maine that handed out 16 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Colgate University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major ranking. Colgate is located in Hamilton, New York and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 25 bachelors’s philosophy degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Belmont Abbey College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major ranking. BAC is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Belmont, North Carolina. It awarded 9 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #23, Wellesley College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major list. Wellesley, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s philosophy degrees to 20 students in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Randolph College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major ranking. Randolph is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lynchburg, Virginia. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #25, Colorado College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Philosophy Major list. This small school is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s philosophy degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | College of the Holy Cross | Worcester, MA |
| 52 | Reed College | Portland, OR |
| 53 | Ursinus College | Collegeville, PA |
| 54 | Trinity College | Hartford, CT |
| 55 | Loras College | Dubuque, IA |
| 56 | University of California - Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara, CA |
| 57 | Westminster College Missouri | Fulton, MO |
| 58 | Whitman College | Walla Walla, WA |
| 59 | University of Puget Sound | Tacoma, WA |
| 60 | Wesleyan University | Middletown, CT |
| 61 | Macalester College | Saint Paul, MN |
| 62 | Bryn Mawr College | Bryn Mawr, PA |
| 63 | Wheaton College Massachusetts | Norton, MA |
| 63 | Transylvania University | Lexington, KY |
| 65 | Washington & Jefferson College | Washington, PA |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 66 | McDaniel College | Westminster, MD |
| 67 | Occidental College | Los Angeles, CA |
| 68 | Augustana College | Rock Island, IL |
| 69 | Vassar College | Poughkeepsie, NY |
| 70 | Goucher College | Baltimore, MD |
| 71 | Earlham College | Richmond, IN |
| 72 | Hanover College | Hanover, IN |
| 73 | Spring Hill College | Mobile, AL |
| 74 | Fort Lewis College | Durango, CO |
| 74 | Scripps College | Claremont, CA |
| 76 | Coe College | Cedar Rapids, IA |
| 77 | University of Mary | Bismarck, ND |
| 78 | The College of Idaho | Caldwell, ID |
| 79 | St Lawrence University | Canton, NY |
| 80 | Swarthmore College | Swarthmore, PA |
| 81 | Bowdoin College | Brunswick, ME |
| 82 | Saint Michael’s College | Colchester, VT |
| 83 | Connecticut College | New London, CT |
| 84 | Thiel College | Greenville, PA |
| 85 | Wofford College | Spartanburg, SC |
| 86 | Newman University | Wichita, KS |
| 87 | Colby College | Waterville, ME |
| 88 | Middlebury College | Middlebury, VT |
| 89 | St Olaf College | Northfield, MN |
| 90 | Albion College | Albion, MI |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 91 | Hollins University | Roanoke, VA |
| 92 | United States Military Academy | West Point, NY |
| 93 | Hiram College | Hiram, OH |
| 94 | Boston College | Chestnut Hill, MA |
| 95 | Taylor University | Upland, IN |
| 96 | Eckerd College | Saint Petersburg, FL |
| 97 | Franklin and Marshall College | Lancaster, PA |
| 98 | Oglethorpe University | Atlanta, GA |
| 99 | Centenary College of Louisiana | Shreveport, LA |
| 100 | Pomona College | Claremont, CA |
| 101 | Lafayette College | Easton, PA |
| 102 | Covenant College | Lookout Mountain, GA |
| 103 | Spelman College | Atlanta, GA |
| 104 | Wells College | Aurora, NY |
| 105 | Ave Maria University | Ave Maria, FL |
| 106 | Grinnell College | Grinnell, IA |
| 107 | Wittenberg University | Springfield, OH |
| 108 | Skidmore College | Saratoga Springs, NY |
| 109 | Manhattanville College | Purchase, NY |
| 110 | Allegheny College | Meadville, PA |
| 111 | Rollins College | Winter Park, FL |
| 112 | University of St Thomas Minnesota | Saint Paul, MN |
| 113 | Willamette University | Salem, OR |
| 114 | Christopher Newport University | Newport News, VA |
| 115 | Mount Holyoke College | South Hadley, MA |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 116 | University of Hawaii at Hilo | Hilo, HI |
| 117 | Calvin University | Grand Rapids, MI |
| 118 | Dartmouth College | Hanover, NH |
| 119 | Central College | Pella, IA |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
